How to Make a Flight Pen out of a Dog Pen?

[mrbstephens]

I have a 10x10 chain link dog pen that I'd like to use for bob whites. Will the whole thing need hardware cloth to keep them in it or will something smaller (and cheaper) work? What should I use for the top? I know I'll need to bury wire fencing also to keep out digging predators. I have a wood house (predator proof) for them to go into also that is about 2 feet wide, 4 week long, and 2.5 feet high. Will they go in it to roost at night? How do they generally sleep? Indoors like the chickens do, or will they be roosting outdoors in the fight pen?

 

[TwoCrows]

Is this what you are talking about?? LOL....


This is a 10x10 dog kennel Bobwhite pen. I covered inside the chain link with double chicken wire, which will keep most things out, except mice and snakes. I didn't want to spend the money on hardware cloth, but had I known then what I know now, I would have used hardware cloth. I also found that the Bobwhites were stressed when they could see out into the yard and spent their entire days pacing along the edges to get out. So I added the lower metal roofing material not only to keep the snakes out, but to keep the birds calm, which it did a fantastic job of. (they need to feel secure). The only open area is the door, which I have used hardware cloth...and there are a few posts and branches that the birds can get onto on the inside to look outside. They tend to calmly sit at the door and stare out into the yard. I buried 4 railroad ties along the bottoms to make the perimeter and put another tie on top of the ones buried, to keep things from digging underneath. The kennel panels are attached to the ties and to a greenhouse which is the fourth wall. The roof is another kennel panel, along with a partial roofed area of more metal roofing. (this might be a hot box in your area of the country...we don't see ripping hot temps, so all this metal is not a problem for the birds). I use a tarp that I can roll and unroll over the roof if I want to keep out rain, snow or sun. On the inside I have brush piles for them to hide in for security.

I cut a pop hole into the side of that fourth wall, the greenhouse, and inside is a large rabbit hutch which the birds use to sleep during bad weather, rain, snow or windy days. Quail do not roost at night per say, although mine like to sleep up off the ground on the railroad ties. They will not go into an enclosure at night like chickens unless the weather calls for it. My bobs only use it during the winter if night time temps get below 15 degrees, and prefer to sleep out in the aviary year round if the weather is decent enough. You have to lock them in their enclosure for a few days before turning them out into the aviary so that they see the enclosure as a place of safety, as they might never use it. Since my aviary is predator proof, I let them sleep where ever they want to, and don't have to worry about running them in at night. Only if they don't have the sense on a winters night and it is going to be -5, do I run them in to sleep in the enclosure.

If you are only keeping a few Bobwhites in this space, this might be a decent enough size as a flight pen. However if you crowd them in, put in branches, feeders, waterers, ect...there is no where to exercise and condition their flight muscles. So if you are truly wanting to flight condition Bobwhites, I suggest making a 10x20 or a 10x30. I used a 10x30 for years and found that the birds really developed good muscle mass with that much space to exercise their wings. Good luck!

 

[mrbstephens]

Thank you. This helps tremendously!
If I were to have two dog pens measuring 10x10 would I be able to connect them to make a bigger one? Thanks again!

 

[TwoCrows]

Yes, that is what I did. You can add as many panels as you want and make it as big as you need. The bigger the better for a flight pen.